About THE WINNING TIPSTER

FAQ with Gavin

What did you do before tipping and did this all start?

When i left school i joined as an admin apprentice for Sunderland City Council. I progressed through the ranks and was on the verge of going to uni to be a building inspector. Then the council was hit by funding cuts and had to lay people off. I took my redundancy and found new work in a call centre.

Whilst at this call centre i was building up a Facebook page which i took over with my old business partner Ben. This was taking off and i decided to take the plunge and cease my full time job to launch ‘The Winning Tipster’. It was very daunting to say the least as meant going full time. If it or I failed i would of had to seek work. Luckily it went according to plan and i have not looked back since. Long may it continue.

What has been your best winner/winners?

I will answer this in two parts……

First of all, i will never forget a horse I advised to a few mates when i was still a young pup. The horse in question was called Cetti’s Warbler and was priced at 125/1 in a run of the mill novice at Towcester. The ground was becoming testing and i did not fancy the favourite one bit. Cetti’s had ran well the race previously and looked well overpriced. I remember watching the race on my lunch at Ladbrokes, having a little EW and watching it romp home. Never forget that horse or the thrill of it winning at such a big price …

To be honest there have been so many over the years since doing this full time. I think i will go back to my latest big priced winner. It was at the beginning of March called Daytime Ahead. A mare that is a veteran of the game, she was the rank ousider of a small field but everything was ideal for her. Advised at 28/1 she was backed into 6/1 and duly obliged to give us a nice win leading into Cheltenham (where we landed two 50/1 doubles).

How did you get into Horse Racing?

It was a combinition of my Dad and Grandad. My Grandad used to take me to the northern tracks, Hexham being my favourite, and playing very small lucky 15’s with my old man. This then progressed as i got the bug for all things horse racing. I used to love getting up early, when i was around 16/18, waiting for the horse racing pull out and studying the form.

Now i am a full blown fanatic of this wonderful sport.

Who is your favourite trainer?

It would hard not to mention Susan Corbett. My first trainer and she provided me with my first winner in the form of Mister Hendre. We featured on a documentary with Robson Green and i even sponsored her yard for 6 years. Yard is all about the horse and they do well with low budget horses.

Lenny Lungo used to be an obsession of mine. My dad done some work for him back in the day and ever since i followed him off a cliff. I used to check teletext for the 24 hr declarations hoping he had a runner. He obviously retired but i will always have a soft spot for him.

What is your proudest moment in Horse Racing?

Not afraid to say i come from a working class background. So to accomplish a dream in owning my own racehorse and winning in my own silks has to be a proud moment.

The horse in question was a cheaply bought horse called Mister Hendre. Had issues and I had to wait for his final run for him to get off the mark. What a feeling that was, he was injured after and had to retire. Written in the stars

What's your plans for the future?

I want to continue improving the service and my knowledge base. I want to take the service to a new level.